Subject:
Title
Delegation to the County Administrator the authority to enter into an interlocal agreement establishing the Opioid Abatement Funding Advisory Board.
label
Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Delegate to the County Administrator the authority to enter into an interlocal agreement establishing the Opioid Abatement Funding Advisory Board (OAFAB).
• Delegation of authority will allow the County Administrator to execute a final interlocal agreement in support of designation as a “Qualified County” for opioid settlement purposes.
• The proposed interlocal establishes the OAFAB and provides guidelines for the acceptance and distribution of potential settlement funding.
• There is no funding committed by execution of the interlocal agreement. The interlocal outlines the roles and responsibilities of the County and the Cities of St. Petersburg, Pinellas Park, and Clearwater in supporting the OAFAB.
Body
Strategic Plan:
N/A
Summary:
Summary
The proposed interlocal agreement is the result of a collective effort by the County, the City of St. Petersburg, the City of Pinellas Park, and the City of Clearwater, to establish the County as a “Qualified County” for purposes of receiving opioid settlement funds.
The proposed interlocal establishes the OAFAB; provides for the OAFAB to consider the opioid-related data, set priorities for funding, and after a competitive solicitation by the County, recommend funding recipients and programming (which must constitute an approved use under the Florida Plan) to the Board of County Commissioners. The recommendations of the OAFAB can be overridden, if appropriate, by a super majority vote.
It is recommended by the County Attorney and County Administrator that the Board delegate authority to the County Administrator to execute an interlocal agreement substantially similar to the attached proposal, upon approval as to form by the County Attorney.
Body
Background Information:
Should Pinellas County participate in a unified settlement for opioid-related claims under the framework of the Florida Plan, as proposed by the Attorney General, to ensure that “Regional Funds” (funds intended to benefit Pinellas and all the municipalities therein) are spent within Pinellas County and on abatement programming determined locally to be in the best interest of Pinellas County, the County must qualify as a “Qualified County.” One necessary step in so qualifying is to enter into interlocal agreements with municipalities comprising 50% of the population of Pinellas Municipalities (defined as the litigating municipalities of Clearwater, Pinellas Park, and St. Petersburg and non-litigating municipalities with a population in excess of 10,000 per the 2019 census estimates).
By entering into an interlocal agreement with the litigation municipalities, the population threshold is met. Should Pinellas County not be deemed a Qualified County, any Regional Funds intended for abatement in Pinellas County will be remitted to the Managing Entity which, in turn, is required to use best efforts to expend the money within the region.
This item is related to Legistar item no. 21-1230A.
Fiscal Impact:
N/A
Staff Member Responsible:
Jewel White, County Attorney
Christy Donovan Pemberton, Managing Assistant County Attorney
Partners:
The City of Clearwater
The City of Pinellas Park
The City of St. Petersburg
Pinellas County Opioid Task Force
Attachments:
Draft interlocal agreement.